For any person who works in an occupation that is responsible for rescuing and/or saving victims of accidents, their tools are often the only means by which to actually save a person's life. One of the most effective and widely used tools for rescuing a person is the “Jaws of Life”® type device. This device, of which there are several different design configurations, and can be powered by different means as well, are used to free a trapped and often injured victim from within an enclosed space. A frequent scenario which necessitates the “Jaws of Life”® is when a passenger in a vehicle is trapped within a crushed and mangled section of the vehicle after an accident. As a result of some accidents, especially those that occur at high speeds or between disproportionately sized vehicles, one or more of the vehicles involved may sustain such severe damage that the metal becomes deformed, thus creating extremely difficult removal of the passenger(s) within.
In the past, rescuers had to attempt to pry the metal apart with a crowbar, or similar tool, or they would be forced to saw the metal open. Another method that was used in the past was a high-temperature torch to cut through the metal. Unfortunately, if there was any gasoline or other flammable liquid spilled or in the atmosphere, the probability for an explosion to occur as a result of this was very high. Regardless of whichever of these methods was employed they all shared one major drawback; the amount of time required to use and successfully finish with these tools was often so long that the victim or victims within the vehicle(s) sometimes suffered more injuries or even death due to the length of time they were trapped.
Another major drawback of current rescue devices is that in order to provide the necessary force which is usually between 70,000 and 150,000 pounds, the device must have a high-level power source. This need directly effects the portability and ease-of-use characteristics of the device. It is clearly obvious that there is a need for a high-power, portable rescue device that is capable of being used by a single operator and that can be easily transported to the scene of an accident. Additionally, rescue tools in current production do not provide a method for quickly removing and replacing the cutting blades required to handle various and specialized rescue tasks.
A search of the prior art did not disclose literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related.
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED3,819,153Hurst, et al25 Jun. 19744,333,330Porter8 Jun. 19824,392,263Amoroso12 Jul. 19834,506,445Esten26 Mar. 19854,734,983Brick5 Apr. 19885,301,533Jackson12 Apr. 19945,544,862Hickerson13 Aug. 19965,622,353Painter et al22 Apr. 19975,956,992Patton28 Sep. 19996,244,568Patton12 Jun. 20017,107,812Patton19 Sep. 2006
Hurst in U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,153 teaches a portable rescue tool that uses a fluid actuated force that is movable along the longitudinal axis of a base for positioning a pair of arms. The arms move their outer ends toward and way from each other to open and close.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,330 issued to Porter for a spreader tool that has opposed force arms which are separated and pivoted while mounted on a base member. When separated and pivoted, the arms achieve annular movement in an opposite direction in response to an axial movement of a driven piston of an associated jack. The inner edges of the arms rest upon rollers mounted on the forward end of the piston. A curve of the inner edge of the arms form an angle at which a constant axial force of the piston is applied to the arm by the roller such that the force remains constant.
Amoroso in U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,263 teaches a rescue tool including a body with a cylinder and an outward-extending piston. Jaw members are connected to the body with links and include outer prying portions, inner cutting portions and intermediate shearing portions. The tool may be powered by a bi-directional motor or directly from a motor located on a vehicle wrecking trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,445 of Esten discloses a rescue cutter tool having a body with a fluid cylinder including a forward end structure having a pair of cutting blades attached thereto. Linking means are asymmetrically secured to the cutting blades and interconnected to a fluid actuated force. The cutting blades pivot between non-cutting open and closed cutting positions. Handles are provided for manipulating and supporting the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. No. 4,734,983 issued to Brick teaches a cutting tool that is effective for cutting through sheet metal when extricating accident victims. The tool has one curved movable blade and one stationary blade. The stationary blade is formed on an anvil that is anchored within the frame of the tool and locked within the frame with a dowel
U.S. Pat. No. No. 5,301,533 of Jackson discloses a machine tool that relates to manufacturing operations for gripping, clamping, piercing and hemming workpieces. Two pairs of arms are arranged in an opposed, inverted relationship with respect to each other and are pivotally connected at one end of a drive. Each arm has a cam formed therein. The cams in each of the pairs of arms are identically constructed in an opposed inverted relationship. Cam followers, which are mounted on the linear drive member, engage the cams during movement to pivot the arms between the open and closed position. Each cam has an arcuate shape at an obtuse angle with respect to a pivot pin that connects each of the pairs of arms the drive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,862 of Hickerson is for a spreading tool that is actuated by an electric motor. Torque at any position is achieved with selectable spreading or cutting motions using a rotary multiple stage speed-reducing gearbox, which is driven by a motor running on a 12-volt DC power supply.
Painter et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,353 discloses a rescue tool having a pair of spreader arms with a pivot point therebetween. A pair of links attached to the arms are reciprocally moveable between a retracted and an extended positions along an axis of movement. A pivotal coupling couples the spreader arm pivot point to the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,992 issued to Patton, the inventor of the instant application, is for a rescue tool consisting of a first arm that functions in combination with an interlocking second arm, which operates with a drive yoke. Another yoke includes a pair of cam pins that traverse a cam slot in each arm and a drive rod is connected to the drive yoke.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,812 also issued to Patton discloses a hydraulic rescue tool utilizing a hydraulic cylinder with a yoke attached that includes a handle for manipulating the tool. Rotation of the hydraulic cylinder yoke prevents injury if the tool inadvertently binds. Pivotal links connect the implement unit with quick release pins, thus making the implement unit easily removable. Two embodiments of the implement unit are taught, with a cutter unit for severing material and a spreader unit for prying apart structural elements of a vehicle.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related, reference may be made to the remaining patents located in the patent search.
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED2,447,401Ferguson, et al17 Aug. 19483,570,835McPherson16 Mar. 19714,886,635Forster, et al12 Dec. 19985,425,260Gehron20 Jun. 1995